Palm is Back!

TCL is utilizing the Palm name and using it to bring back the pocketable smartphone

Palm is back!

TCL is bringing back Palm and in a small way (not insignificantly small)! The new Palm device on Verizon only has a 3.3 inch screen with a respectable 445ppi. The specs are decidedly low end running a Snapdragon 435 and 3gb of ram with 32gb of storage, but there’s some aspects holding this device back more than it’s specs. The Verge reports that you won’t be able to buy this phone on its own. It wouldn’t count on your plan as a separate phone but in the same category as a smartwatch. Verizon will tack on $10 to your bill in addition to the $350 this device will cost you.

The device also only packs in an 800mah battery, however it’s IP68 certified. You also get a 12mp rear camera and an 8mp front camera. Luckily though the device comes with a USB C port and not the older micro usb. It doesn’t have a headphone jack though. If it did this thing could make a cool music player. It also runs a custom version of Android 8.1 Oreo.

New Palm phone render

Life Mode

The new Palm phone has a setting called “Life Mode” which turns off all the radios on the device. Different radios will only turn on when needed such as bluetooth when headphones are connected and wireless radios when the screen is on. This mode is meant to filter out notifications and distractions until you want to see them. It will also conserve a lot of battery life, given the 800mah battery life.

Conclusion

What do you all think of Palm’s new entrance into the smartphone market? I think having smaller phones come back onto the market could be great, but we really need to take them more seriously. An 800mah battery is upsettingly small, however having an IP rating is refreshing. I hope the device performs well however only time will tell when this tiny device launches in November.

Senior Editor @OneTechStop
My journey with technology started when I was 9 years old building desktop computers with my dad in our basement. Fast forward 8 years my dad told my I couldn't buy a new smartphone until I fully researched why it was worth purchasing. I moved over from the Motorola Droid to the HTC Rezound and although it had better specifications on paper I couldn't understand why I liked the Galaxy Nexus more. After that I wanted to learn what made each piece of technology unique and fast forward to now I haven't stopped wanting to learn.